Followers

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Simple Pleasures

I must be sick. Who take a photo of their dish cupboard?

Someone with new dishes?! We bought pretty dishes to go with our new house when we moved in....14 years ago. I loved them. Lately, they have been looking a bit shabby. When did they get all of those chips and where did the design get off to? I mentioned it to my dh, who casually asked me about my choice for replacing them. On a lark I said Fiesta Ware. Wouldn't it be fun to have dishes that didn't match at all so that they always matched no matter how many pieces got broken? He must have felt flush...cuz he bought a set of 12 place settings, each one a different color.

As I was putting them up this morning it suddenly dawned on me that the stack of crazy color made me happy. It is like a quilt I can eat off of. I find myself wondering which color I will have lunch on. After some reflection, I think these suit us just right now. My life has changed.

25 years ago, when I was newly married and just setting up house, everything was sweet and girly. Our home was decorated in Mauve and Colonial Blue.....a.k.a. Pink and blue.....designs had soft edges and were thematically hearts and bunnies...fancy embroidery....lace collars.

Enter the toddler years and three little boys....I veered toward the whimsical and steadfast. Bunnies and hearts were replaced by kites, cowboys, and sailing ships. My brick-a-brack disappeared and the china was replaced with wood and wrought iron. (Things that are harder to break.) My color scheme got darker and bolder. (Hides dirt better) My storage system from pretty shelving to rubbermaid. (Keeps out dust and dirt, and is easier for little hands to help with.)

Now....my boys are mostly grown. Our home isn't so much decorated as lived in. The walls are lined with quilts. (Still very hard to break, but with the added bonus of increased insulative properties) Big quilts, mini quilts, quilts on old extension ladders, quilts as table toppers and runners. Quilts and colors are everywhere I look, and everywhere I look I enjoy another little quilt, another color, another swapping friend. They make me happy. (Way better than Prozac or Ephexor or diet and exercise ever did.)

It is all so different than where I started. Different than what I expected, although I don't know what that was. All of this to say that having a plan is nice...but, in retrospect, enjoying the journey is better.


That is one reason why I don't participate in the various WIP and UFO projects in blog land. I don't want to spend my time bemoaning how much I didn't get done. How much my life isn't going according to plan. I trust that the one who made me has it all worked out. No matter what I accomplish, His plans are so much better, that even if it looks like crap I am confident that it will be glorious eventually. I trust Him far more than I trust me.

Thank You Jesus for bright colors and clothes that fit off of the rack, and my home that makes me smile...even through the dust and dog hair and stinky boy socks.

5 comments:

carol fun said...

I LOVE your Fiestaware - why? because I have a cupboard that looks just like it! I'm up to 14 different colors and I've picked up lots of accessory items too - serving bowls, baking dishes, cute little custard cups. It is so much fun to set the table and mix up all the colors. My boys leave the yellow,orange & marigold pieces for me and it makes me smile! Enjoy the dishes and your home. It is nice to get it comfy and reflect who we are now!

GIO said...

I'm currently in a white-with-accents phase, but I'm still capable of enjoying a rainbow when I see one... your cupboard is a wonderful rainbow.
As for the look and feel of a home, I totally agree with you. I wish my own home was like in magazines shots, but I actually live in it, and it has my personal touch. I don't know if tomorrow I'm going to still have all my furniture white, but I'm confident that whatever color or mood or style it will reflect my family and our life. That's very comforting, it's our way to express our personality.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much! I really needed this! We are at an in-between phase...the oldest of 5 is almost 19 & the youngest are 9 y/o twin boys. My house is a wreck because we have been re-budgeting (hubby lost his 2nd income) re-writing resumes, filling out applications, soccer, soccer, and did I mention soccer? We are doing mountains of laundry, tons of dishes, moving my sister out of her old house and into the new, remodeling my grandmother's house for a rental and it just seems like nothing is getting accomplished! *groan* You didn't need to hear me rant, but I do want to say that through you, God has spoken to me! I'm going to clear off my kitchen table, sit down with a glass of iced tea and enjoy the next few minutes! At least until the washer finishes & I have to go swap! Hugs!

Sana Saroti said...

Beautiful post! Thank you! Reading all of those WIP-post does make me anxious and I am always wondering how they do it or if I am just lazy.
Love you new dishes. They go well with your black and white tile, too! I have dishes almost like yours, but they are 11 years old now and I am ready for a change ;-)

Lynne said...

I love your dinnerware - so colourful, such fun. We eat off white plates with a small Japanese style brown-coloured floral design on them! Yours are much more exciting.

We used to have my art-work / cross stitch hanging on the walls of our house. In 2007 we took everything down to paint, and I loved the minimalist, uncluttered look so much nothing has ever gone back up! It's a foil to the clutter in every room!